Making Two Rooms From One Kitchen–Parade of Remodeling Participant

ABOUT PROJECT

This 1950’s ranch had been remodeled in the 1980’s but didn’t serve the needs of the young family of 4 who had moved in. An existing galley kitchen and large eat in area did not allow for the needed work-space or storage. The floor plan also did not create organized traffic flow from the private to the public areas of the home. With the recent additional to the family, an additional bedroom was also needed.

Traffic flow was creating the biggest challenge to a functional kitchen space

Once the 3rd bedroom was laid out, it was decided that the patio door needed to be relocated to the existing dining room creating a different traffic pattern and wall space to layout the new kitchen

The wall between the dining room and kitchen was opened and a wing wall was removed behind the original range location

These floor plan changes were minor construction changes compared to the impact of the new kitchen space

The existing appliances were reused to help with the budget but all relocated to create a more efficient work area

A large window was also added over the kitchen sink area to view the children at play in the backyard.

The family eats many fresh fruits and vegetables all year long however they take up valuable counter-top space.

A shelf was designed into the cabinetry as open storage reclaiming the counter-top for work space

A secondary prep sink was also added closer to the fresh fruit and vegetable area and a cover from matching solid surface counter-top material was fabricated to make it an optional use

Storage for a wireless printer was accommodated in the 18”deep tall cabinet to the left of the refrigerator, and the 12”deep tall cabinet near the range was wired to allow for cell phone chargers to be hidden

After the floor plan had been revised, the cabinet selection began with the choice of frame-less cabinets to capture additional interior storage space.

The soffits were removed and the wall cabinets were taken to the ceiling adding storage and visually expanding the ceiling

A slab door style was selected for the bases and talls to compliment the simple lines of the 1950’s architecture, but a visual interest was added by using a contrasting shaker door style on the wall cabinets

Frosted glass inserts were also selected to add another texture and break up the repetition of the wall cabinets

An accent of color, in this otherwise monochromatic space, can be found in the glass subway tile back-splash that was selected to match the homeowner’s dishes and living room color palette

The family is overjoyed with their new layout, additional counter-top space and storage. It feels as though the kitchen has become part of the existing architecture but updated to accommodate a modern family for years to come.